


now you're just showing off

by lostariels



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/F, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Meet-Cute, Nature, One Shot, it's really that bad, just know you're wrong, lena likes to show off, literally don't even try and read the welsh names
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-10-19 15:41:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20659628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostariels/pseuds/lostariels
Summary: On a trip to Wales to see some red squirrels, Kara, a wildlife journalist, finds herself lost and flags down a nearby rock climber to ask for directions, finding herself at a complete loss with the pronunciation of the local town names, much to the other woman's amusement.





	now you're just showing off

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Melui](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melui/gifts).

It was a grey day as Kara tramped down the slopes of Carnedd Llewelyn, feet blistered and sore from her hike up the green hills and rocky ridges, the ground hard with frost and patches of snow that hadn’t melted yet, and she felt stiff from the cold. She’d never been anywhere so cold and even the stumbling walk back down in her rubber rain boots didn’t warm her, camera swinging wildly around her neck, full of snaps of the murky waters of lakes pooling in the dips of valleys and the veil of fog obscuring the distant peaks of Snowdonia National Park spreading out to the south. 

She’d thought a hike might be a good way to get some snapshots of the early spring countryside as it blossomed to life, clumps of sodden wildflowers cropping up in patches as she’d made the hike up, but now she was regretting her decision. After seven hours of hiking, she was eager to make her way to the hotel she’d book in Henllys, nearby the coniferous forests where she was hoping to catch glimpses of the elusive red squirrels that were repopulating in the area. There were a few interviews she had scheduled with local conservationists and wildlife experts and enthusiasts for her CatCo article, and Kara was looking forward to a week of adventuring around the northern reaches of Wales as she worked on her new story.

Unfortunately, as she neared the bottom of the track, trampling through the thicket of trees that bordered the road, she pulled her map out of her backpack to check the direction into the nearest town, hoping to catch a bus, and found that her water bottle had leaked, turning it into soggy paper with blurred ink. Softly swearing, Kara sighed and shoved the useless map back into her bag, taking a sip of what little water she had left, and winced as her shoes rubbed her blisters.

Resigning herself to a painful walk along the nearby road she’d been dropped off along by a helpful driver who’d picked her up as she’d hitchhiked her way from the town she’d come from, Kara hoped that she’d be able to flag down another driver to help her, or at least give her some directions. It was bitterly cold, and she didn’t fancy staying outdoors too long. The day was already late, well past noon, and she knew that sunlight would be gone shortly, the grey sky grey and foreboding. It looked like it was about to rain, which would be just her luck.

Yet as she carried on with her slippery descent beneath the canopy of trees, she spotted movement ahead and squinted through the dim sunlight that filtered through the leaves. Cutting a path diagonally across from Kara’s left, a figure trampled through the woods with a bulky bag on their back, and Kara felt a flicker of hope inside.

“Excuse me! Excuse me, hi!” Kara called out.

Quickening her pace, she tried to catch up to the dark-haired woman walking a short way ahead of her, hauling what seemed to be rock climbing gear with her as she carefully navigated her way down the root-strewn slopes of the edge of the forest. 

Notepad in hand, Kara jogged up to the woman as she turned around, an apologetic smile gracing her face as she slowed upon nearing her. The woman was bundled up warmly against the early February weather, sturdy boots crusted in mud and a rosiness to her cheeks. Kara’s lips trembled slightly from the cold and she curled her frozen fingers around the pen she held.

“Sorry to disturb you. I was just- I’m a bit lost.”

The woman’s lips twitched into a smile and her green eyes gave Kara an appraising look. “Looks like you lost your clothes too. You’ll freeze in that.”

Eyes widening at the hint of American in her accent, Kara was struck with surprise. Glancing down at herself in embarrassment, taking in the denim and the thin raincoat that was all she’d thought to bring with her on her trip, her rainboots a sorry sight from too much walking through the damp Welsh countryside.

“Oh, I, uh, yeah, I’m not from around here,” Kara sheepishly replied, “obviously.”

“I figured. There aren’t many Americans this far north.”

“Except yourself.”

Eyebrows rising slightly, the woman carried on walking, her pace slow so that Kara could follow alongside her, “I don’t count; I’m only half.”

“Ah,” Kara mumbled, a look of understanding on her face. There had been a slight lilt to the woman’s words that was distinctly British too, although she wouldn’t have been able to place where. It might have been Irish, for all Kara knew of accents.

“So what did you need help with?”

“Can you tell me what the quickest way to get to, um, to … lan … fair- fair p will? Sorry, I can’t even say it, this literally makes  _ no _ sense.”

“Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch?”

A look of awe dawned on Kara’s face as the name rolled off the other woman’s tongue, completely impressed and not missing the slightly smug look on the brunette’s face as she pronounced it flawlessly, not even slowing. 

“Oh my God, that was  _ good!  _ Can you say it again?”

With a look of amusement, the woman arched an eyebrow but indulged Kara anyway as her lips twitched with a smile. Eyes wide with delight, Kara listened to the stream on nonsense fall from the woman’s lips and couldn’t stop the smile that curled her parted lips as she looked down at her, trying not to trip over her own feet in mesmerisation.

“Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.”

“I’m impressed,” Kara said, her childlike wonder etched onto her face as she smiled, “that’s the place!”

With a sideways look, the shorter woman peered up at her. “You’ll need to follow the A Five from Braichmelyn, heading toward Tregarth. Go straight through and take a left onto the A Fifty-five - that’s the North Wales Expressway - follow it over the bridge and you’re practically there.”

Kara hurriedly scribbled down the directions, misspelling everything as she fumbled with the unfamiliar names and confusing linguistics, biting her lip and hesitating as she glanced back up at the woman, who had stopped when Kara did.

“Is there a bus that goes from … break melon?”

Letting out a quiet laugh, the woman pressed her lips together as she tried not to smile, hands buried in her pockets and lengths of rope and harnesses hanging from the bulky backpack on her back. “Yes, but it’ll take you at  _ least _ an hour, but probably the better part of two hours. A lot of sheep on the roads up here, so chances are you’ll get stuck waiting a bit.”

Kara chewed her lip anxiously as the woman mused aloud, rubbing the back of her neck with a thoughtful look on her face, eyebrows pulling together over her solemn green eyes.

_ “But _ you can catch the X Four on Adwy’r Nant a few minutes down the road in Bethesda. That’ll take you through Tregarth, up past Llandygai and swing around past Hirael. Then you need to get off and take a second bus toward Penrhosgarnedd from the Llangefni bus stand and it’ll take you back around to Menai Bridge, and you’ll be there a few minutes later. Might be quicker taking the Fifty-eight route through Mynydd Llandygai and catch the train in Bangor, now that I think about it. But again, sheep.”

With a wide-eyed look of bewilderment on her face, Kara stared at the woman helplessly, half of her words a jumble of phonetic sounds that she’d given up on halfway through, struggling to keep up with the bizarre names of local places.

“Um … okay.”

“You look even more lost than when I found you,” the woman chuckled. “Come on, I’m heading over the Menai Bridge anyway. How about I give you a ride?”

Relief washed over Kara as she gave the woman a grateful smile, “thank you  _ so _ much. I’m normally good with directions, but this … I don’t even know how to say these places.”

“Mm, it takes a bit of getting used to.”

“Do you speak the language?”

With a snort of laughter, the woman started walking again and a moment later they emerged onto the tree-lined road, hugging it to their right as they walked at a leisurely pace. Kara was trying to suppress her shivering as she followed along, sensing that the woman might’ve realised that her shoes were hurting her feet and had slowed her pace out of politeness.

“No, I don’t have the time to figure  _ that _ out. I’ve just picked up the names of places. Fair warning though, most towns up here speak Welsh and they don’t take kindly to strangers. Especially this far north. How long are you here for?”

“Oh, just a week. I’m heading to … Hen- Henliss?”

“Henllys?”

“Right. Well, I’m a wildlife journalist; we’re running a special on American species that have impacted local wildlife.”

A smile curled the woman’s lips as she glanced at Kara, taking in the notebook and the pen and the ill-suited clothes that she was tramping around the countryside in. There was a flicker of surprise in her eyes as she gave her an appraising look.

“Oh, you’re here for the red squirrels?”

“Yes!” Kara beamed at her, excitement lighting up her face. “I’ve heard … that place is one of the best to catch them. I’m hoping to get some good shots.” 

Patting the Canon camera dangling around her neck, Kara smiled, hitching her backpack more securely onto her shoulders as they followed the road around. Nodding, the woman didn’t venture any comment on it as they continued along the path until they came to a mud-splattered Jeep Wrangler in forest green parks on the shoulder of the road. The lights flashed as the woman pushed a button on a pair of keys and Kara realised that it was her car.

Watching as the woman shoved her bag into the trunk, Kara lingered on the side of the road, until the woman climbed into the car. Taking it as a sign that she should get in too, Kara eased the door open and clambered up into the high car, wedging her backpack in between her feet as she buckled her seatbelt.

“So, how long have you been living up here?”

“I’m just here for work,” the woman murmured, the engine roaring to life as she craned her neck to check for and traffic. “Been here on and off for the better part of a year.”

Pulling out onto the road, the woman reached out and turned the heating on, hot air rushing out of the vents and making Kara’s whole body sag in sweet relief, before tensing again as violent shivers wracked her body. With a quiet laugh, the woman reached behind her seat and pulled out a plaid blanket, depositing it in Kara’s lap with a knowing look.

“It might smell a bit like wet dog. Sorry.”

“Thank you,” Kara gratefully said, finding that she didn’t care much  _ what _ it smelled like, only that it was warm as the car quickly chased away the chill of the outdoors.

They were quiet as they drove, following the road and coming upon a small town, the one Kara assumed she would’ve had to catch the bus from, and as she stared out at the grey buildings, she realised that she’d never introduced herself to the other woman. Eyes widening slightly, she turned to look at her, feeling a little shy, even though she was sitting beside her in her car with her blanket draped over her, after making a fool of herself as she clumsily tried to pronounce the names of the incomprehensible streets and towns written on the signs.

“I’m Kara, by the way.”

“Lena.”

“So, what kind of work do you do?”

With a crooked smile, Lena cast her a quick glance. “I’m actually an environmentalist lawyer. I work all over the country with different conservation programs for national parks and endangered species. At the moment I’m helping stop a bill that’ll free up some land with preserved ruins on it. A bit of a cultural spat with the local council. I was actually here a few years back to help with the red squirrels.”

“Really?” Kara asked, eagerly latching onto the tidbit of information, scrambling for her notepad and pen. “Sorry, would it be alright if I ask you a few questions as we drive?”

“Sure.”

“So, um, was it in Hen- Hen however it’s pronounced that you worked?”

Letting out a quiet snort of laughter, Lena nodded as she smiled, passing through the middle of town and out the other end without slowing. “Mhm. Well, we worked from there, but that’s actually  _ not _ the best place to see the squirrels. In case you didn’t know that.”

“It’s- it’s not?”

“Nope. I mean, the woodland around that area is really good for them because it’s all coniferous, and that’s where they were looking to localise the reintroduction of some of the squirrels they’d bred. There’s a forest to the south of Anglesey-”

“Newborough Forest?”

“That’s the one. I don’t think any buses go toward Niwbwrch though, but there’s got to be more than five hundred squirrels there now, and there’s Llyn Parc Mawr across the road from it. It’s a man-made site, which I’ve heard the squirrels have been taking over too. I’m actually heading toward Henllys though, so I can take you that far. But if you have no luck there, just west of it is Pentraeth Forest. There’s a good spot called Mynydd Llwydiarth nearby, but there are some local birdwatchers that have said that Wern y Wylan in Llanddona is one of the best spots to see them around there.”

Kara had been nodding along as Lena rattled off a list of locations and names, and when she finally trailed off, Kara chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, before giving her a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I just- do you know how to spell any of these places?”

Warm laughter fell from Lena’s lips and she gave Kara a droll smile, “just spell it phonetically and then take out the vowels. That’s about as close as you’ll get.”

“You’re right! What did vowels ever do to them? It looks like somebody sneezed while typing out the names!”

“Don’t say that to any locals,” Lena laughed.

“Right so, I’ve got Newburch, Lyn Park Mower, Pen … try- tryeth? Minid Loodiarth and Lan Donna. Great.”

Kara read the names slowly, and Lena groaned, putting her head in her hand for a moment as she held the large steering wheel in one hand, keeping a steady course on the A5, approaching the turn off for the motorway. Shaking her head, she let out an exasperated sigh and then glanced at Kara, a quiet scoff of laughter falling from her lips as she shook her head again, cheeks dimpling as she tried to keep herself from smiling.

“I have a feeling that you’re going to get lost in the middle of north-west Wales, trying to follow my instructions to find  _ Minid Loodiarth  _ and they’re going to find your frozen body in the middle of a lake tomorrow morning. I’m  _ actually _ worried that you’re going to freeze to death in that shitty raincoat - no offence. God, have you never been to the UK before?”

“This is actually my first time,” Kara said, cheeks pink as she shrugged helplessly, “I like in California! I don’t even  _ own _ a winter coat.”

“Well, I’ve got a spare you can borrow for the week if you’d like.”

Blinking in surprise at the generous offer, Kara smiled softly, “oh, that’s very kind of you. I, uh, I can leave it at my hotel when I leave, or mail it back to you if that’s easier.”

Lena was already shaking her head, a wry smile twisting her lips as they drove down a tree-lined road, the first few dots of rain already peppering the windshield. Kara was overcome with gratitude that she’d chased down the stranger to ask for directions, feeling almost cosy inside the car, even if she was footsore and exhausted from her hike. All she needed now was a hot meal and a warm bath.

“No, no, I’m being serious; I feel like you’re going to get yourself lost trying to hunt down the elusive red squirrel. I’d rather not hear about a missing tourist on the news tomorrow,” Lena said, her mouth pulling up at the corners, despite the seriousness of her words, “I don’t really have anywhere to be all week, unless the council wants to finally get back to me, so I can drive you around, if you’d like. It’ll be quicker with a car, and I already know where I’m going. You can give me my coat back at the end of the week.”

“You really don’t have to. You’ve been kind enough already.”

With a derisive snort of laughter, Lena’s eyebrows rose slightly and her smile became a little strained, “well, it’s not often that I get to be kind. I’m usually the asshole, to the developers anyway. At least I can make sure you get pictures of your squirrels. And answer your questions.”

Biting her lip, Kara watched the other woman for a few moments, hesitating as she watched Lena make the turn onto the bridge leading over to Anglesey before she caved in. Why brush off an offer that would make things easier for her?

“Okay, well … how about I buy you dinner? Is there a pub nearby where we can get something to eat and I can ask you questions?”

“Tafarn Ty Gwyn is right up the road. And it’s right across from the world-famous train station. A few pints and you’ll probably be slurring your words enough to actually pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.”

“Well, now you’re just showing off.”


End file.
